Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it is steamy, warm, damp and thick. But if you had been around 15,000 years ago, during the last ice age, would it have been the same ?For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests like the Amazon might have reacted(反应)to the cold ,dry climates of the ice ages ,but until now ,no one has reached a satisfying answer.
Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO2 from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming . Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tons of CO2 each year; equal to the total amount of CO2 giving off in the UK each year. But how will the Amazon react to future climate change? If it gets drier ,will it still survive and continue to draw down CO2 ?Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past.
Unfortunately ,getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult .To study past climate ,scientists need to look at fossilized pollen ,kept in lake muds .Going back to the last ice age means drilling deep down into lake sediments (沉淀 物),which requires specialized equipment and heavy machinery .There are very few roads and paths ,or places to land helicopters and aeroplanes .Rivers tend to be the easiest way to enter the forest ,but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers completely unsampled(未取样).So far ,only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change.
64.The underlined phrase “mopping up” in the second paragraph means .
A.cleaning up B.taking in C.wiping out D.giving out
65.How will the Amazon rainforest react to future climate change?
A.It’ll get drier and continue to remove CO2 .
B.It’ll remain steamy ,warm ,damp and thick .
C.It’ll get warmer and then colder and drier.
D.There is no exact answer up to present.
66.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.It’s important to drill deep down into lake sediments to collect information.
B.It’s impossible to prove how climate changes in the Amazon rainforest.
C.It’s hard to collect information for studies of the past climate in the Amazon rainforest.
D.It’s necessary to have specialized equipment and machinery to study the past climate.
67.The best title for this passage may probably be .
A.Studies of the Amazon B.Climates of the Amazon
C.Secrets of the Rainforests D.Changes of the Rainforests
It is often said that you cannot “teach an old dog new tricks”, but three New Zealand dogs have decided to prove otherwise
by learning a skill—driving a car!
What’s even more impressive is that the three who have become skilled in just eight weeks are not special dogs that belong to some rich owners, but abandoned ones at New Zealand’s SPCA.
To get their training started, 10-month-old Porter, 18-month-old Monty and one-year-old Ginny were selected from a pool of seven potential candidates and moved to Animal Q, a talent agency that teaches animals tricks for movies and television shows.
The driving classes began with teaching the dogs some basic driving techniques like turning the steering wheels(方向盘)and applying the brakes. After that the dogs practiced everything they had learnt behind the wheels of a motorized(装上发动机的)car. Then finally, it was time for the big test-driving a real car!
Human cars are not really built for four-legged animals, so the car they drove was adjusted so that the dogs could sit comfortably and easily reach the steering wheel with their paws.
Though they all seemed to do very well, the real test came on Monday night when Monty, the best driver of the three, showed his great driving skill on live television.
Why would the SPCA go through so much trouble to highlight the skills of homeless dogs? The reason is to show that adopting a dog from a shelter does not mean owners are getting a pet that is worse than one purchased from a keeper. The CEO of the SPCA is hoping that this unusual event will be enough to convince the residents of New Zealand to consider them, when searching for a pet. We surely hope so, meanwhile we are almost certain that these three pioneers have at least landed their names in the Guinness World Records, creating a category that probably does not even exist today!Who do the three dogs belong to?
A. Some rich owners. | B. Animal Q. |
C. A shelter. | D. A zoo. |
The car the dogs drove was adjusted.
A. because it was too big for the dogs to drive |
B. because it had no steering wheels and brakes |
C. to ensure the dogs could sit comfortably and drive easily |
D. to motorize the car and turn it to be a real one |
Why does the SPCA decide to teach the three dogs to learn to drive a car?
A. To prove old dogs can learn new tricks. |
B. To teach them performing tricks for movies and television shows. |
C. To provide amusing performances for homeless children. |
D. To encourage people to adopt the abandoned dogs. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A. A new Guinness category for driving dogs will probably be created. |
B. Abandoned dogs are much cleverer than house-kept ones. |
C. All the dogs at New Zealand’s SPCA will soon be adopted. |
D. New Zealand has the most homeless dogs among all countries. |
People are being tricked into Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up loads of personal information.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules early on you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook. You could create your own little private network. Last year. The company changed its privacy rules so that many things; your city, your photo, your friends’ names were set, by default (默认)to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information. They have a “less satisfying experience.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. In original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them. At the side of the pages totally, who wants to took at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it’s only the beginning,which is why I’m considering cancelling my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
A.It is a website that sends messages to users who want to get married. |
B.It earns money by putting on advertisements. |
C.It makes money by selling its users’ personal data. |
D.It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
A.They are unwilling to give up their personal information. |
B.They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
C.They don’t identify themselves when using the website. |
D.They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
A.To provide better service to its users. |
B.To obey the Federal guidelines. |
C.To improve its users’ connection |
D.To expand its business. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
A.He is dissatisfied with its present service. |
B.He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
C.He doesn’t want his personal data badly used. |
D.He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
Swim Birthday Parties
Ages 3 and up.
Pool parties are during recreation swim in the 25-yard pool. Each party consists of an hour of celebration in a private room. Parties are for 1—5 children. All non-swimmers or children requiring floatation must be at arm’s length from the pool and accompanied by an adult or guardian.
Please contact Sarah Hagan 762—8384x210.
Fee: Members $ 175/Non-members $225
Youth Fitness Birthday Parties
Leave the party activities to us! Your party package includes:1/2 hour set-up,1 hour program time including equipment,props,etc.1 hour party time for cake,presents,etc.,1/2 hour clean-up time and 1 or 2 hours specialists. Parents supply decorations, food and paper goods. To schedule a Youth Fitness Birthday Party, call Mary Ann Genuario (x282).
Fee: $295 for up to 10 children,$10 each additional child—16 children maximum. Non-member price available upon request.
The Art Spot Birthday Parties
The Art Spot offers a variety of creative fine art parties for Ages 4—Adult! We supply the invitations, a balloon bouquet(花束), paper goods, project materials and a party host; all you need to bring is the cake!
Parties are one and a half hours, the first hour the group create their art project, and last 1/2 hour is for cake and presents! Parties are usually held on Friday nights and weekends but weekday parties are available.
Cost: $21 per child.
Rain or shine there’s no better place than the Art Spot for your child’s next party!
Nursery School Birthday Parties
If planning a party is not your thing, let us do the work for you! We offer a variety of pre-planned parties to choose from. You may also do a combination of 2 parties for boy/ girl parties. All parties are on Saturday afternoons between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and are one and a half hours in length. Parties include a craft or activity and paper goods. You may arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time to set-up. To schedule a party please contact Kim Murphy(x214).
Fee(Up to 15 children):$200 Members/ $250 Non-member,$15 each additional child.The phrase “be at arm’s length” probably means“______________”.
A.be as careful as possible | B.be as long as an arm |
C.be as near as possible | D.be as faraway as possible |
If 12 children take part in Youth Fitness Birthday Parties, they will pay ____________.
A.$ 455 | B.$315 |
C.$ 200 | D.$250 |
If your child joins in the Art Spot Birthday Parties, he will.
A.swim in the 25-yard pool |
B.spend half an hour to clean up |
C.create his own art project |
D.do activities with other kids |
What information can you get from the passage?
A.You can schedule the party when it is convenient for you. |
B.The number of people for these parties is limited. |
C.You need to bring nothing to join in the birthday parties. |
D.All of these birthday parties center on a special theme. |
One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one’s mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like “I was wrong about that, ”and it is even harder to say, “I was wrong, and you were right about that. ”
I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighborhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons (箱子). Then he related an incident and I began to remember clearly the incident he was describing.
I was about eight years old at the time, and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the dairy food department where the incident took place.
There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were stacked three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together, so I went to work.
The Manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees inspecting (examining)some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the criminal. He severely scolded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I protested my innocence and tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, obviously the manager did not.The author was ______ when he wrote this article.
A.about 8 | B.about 18 |
C.about 23 | D.about 15 |
Who was to blame for knocking off the stacks of cartons?
A.The author. | B.The manager. |
C.The woman. | D.The author’s mother. |
When the manager scolded him the author _______.
A.was frightened and cried | B.tried to explain |
C.did not say anything | D.felt the manager was right |
It can be inferred that the author _______.
A.regrets arguing with the manager for what he didn’t do |
B.would like to tell people never to be fooled by an egg sale |
C.has forgiven the manager for what he did to him fifteen years ago |
D.expects the woman to say sorry to him for the mistake she made |
Grand Opening
Bentwood Truck Museum
Saturday, November 8, at 10:00 A. M.
After eighteen months of hard work by more than 100 volunteers, the Bentwood Truck Museum is ready to open. The old factory on the corner of Palmer Street and Norman Drive had been scheduled to be destroyed. When Roger Haygood heard about the plans to tear down the building, he bought it so that he could store his collection of old trucks there. Then he had the idea of turning the building into a truck museum.
During the past year and a half, the old building has been transformed into a treasure chest of memories. Instead of a dark and dull house, the building has become a cheery, bright home for all kinds of trucks from the past.
The museum now houses 68 trucks, and we hope to have even more soon. There is a 1959 school bus, a 1942 bakery truck, and a 1937 fire engine. Our oldest vehicle is a 1919 milk truck. Our newest vehicle is a 1966 tow truck.
You can take a ride on a fire truck, a mail truck, or an ice-cream truck. Rides are $ 2.00, but you can get a ticket for a free ride at any grocery store in Bentwood.
Help us celebrate our grand opening by bringing your family and friends! There is something to interest everyone who attends. The Bentwood Truck Museum is a special piece of our history.
•To get to Bentwood Truck Museum, take Route 29 (Kingston Highway) to Palmer Street.
•Go south on Palmer Street for one block and take a left onto Norman Drive.
•You will see the museum building and the amusement park on your left.
•Parking is available across the street, on your right.In which of the following can visitors take a ride?
A.A milk truck. | B.An ice-cream truck. |
C.A bakery truck. | D.A school bus. |
What is special about this museum?
A.It is built on the ruins of an old building. |
B.It offers visitors free rides to the museum. |
C.It exhibits trucks dating back to 100 years ago. |
D.It’s transformed from an old factory by volunteers. |
What’s the purpose of writing this passage?
A.To introduce the old history of Bentwood Truck Museum. |
B.To persuade readers to attend the opening of the museum. |
C.To explain why Bentwood Truck Museum was set up. |
D.To call on the visitors to take a ride in old trucks. |